This invention relates to apparatus for cascading artificial snow through the branches of a decorative tree such as a Christmas tree, and more particularly to improved apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,415,513 and 3,415,512, entitled Apparatus to Cause Artificial Snowfall and Apparatus Causing Artificial Snowfall, respectively.
These patents disclose apparatus which continuously cascades artificial snow, e.g., foamed plastic pellets, through the branches of a Christmas tree. The apparatus has a particle-collecting receptacle supported on its own base and within which a tree, either artificial or real, is mounted. The receptacle has a diameter sufficient to span the distance between opposed lowermost branches of the tree, and has an interior surface which is inclined to direct snow particles into a bottom portion of the receptacle, which forms a sump. A blower mounted on the receptacle has an inlet conduit for taking up snow particles collected in the sump portion of the receptacle, and feeds an outlet conduit which channels a stream of particles to a point adjacent the top of the tree. A deflector at the top of the tree directs snow particles emanating from the outlet conduit downwardly through the branches of the tree and back toward the receptacle, where they are recirculated.
While the foregoing apparatus operates successfully, it has several drawbacks. First, the tree stand and therefore the tree itself must be mounted within the receptacle. Accordingly, the receptacle must be made of a material sufficiently strong to support the tree. Further, a tree stand specifically designed to be mountable within the receptacle must be employed. In addition, the collecting receptacle does not direct the collected particles into its sump portion without mechanical assistance. In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 3,415,513 teaches that the blower be constructed to vibrate the collecting receptacle to facilitate return of the particles along the sloping interior surface to the sump. Moreover, both patents teach that the artificial snow particles preferably have curved surfaces which facilitate their downward movement on the walls of the receptacle toward the sump portion.
Another drawback of the apparatus described in the above-referenced patents arose from the belief that it was necessary that the collecting receptacle have a diameter large enough to span the largest radial dimensions of the tree. This led to the provision of an overly large, cumbersome receptacle which detracted from the decorative appearance of the tree. Lastly, in the prior equipment, unless somehow assisted downwardly toward the sump portion, particles tended to collect on the sloping interior surface of the receptacle and particles collected within the branches of the tree, sometimes to an undesirable degree.